"Russians are facing difficulties": Melnyk explains whether Putin's troops can quickly push back the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kursk region

The Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to retake the territory of Kursk region, which was seized by the Ukrainian Defense Forces. However, several factors hinder the rapid fulfillment of this task, including the limited number of Russian troops and the completely inadequate prioritization of the occupiers' military and political leadership.

Oleksiy Melnyk, Co-Director of Foreign Policy Programs and Coordinator of International Projects at the Razumkov Center, commented on the situation. In an interview with OBOZ.UA, the military expert said: "Putin not only ordered, but publicly called on the army to recapture the border of the Kursk region, appealing to a 'sacred duty'.

It is hard to say whether the dictator set a deadline of October 1. But it is clear that there is an order for a counterattack. "And this is not the first time. After all, from the very beginning of the Kursk operation, a video of Putin's meeting with the generals was released, where they convinced him that "it will happen in the next few days," Melnyk recalled.

He asked how realistic the rapid advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the Kursk region was.

Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, had previously assured the Kremlin leader that the territory would be returned within a few days, i.e. by mid-August. But the aggressor state failed.

"The first reason is the actions of the Ukrainian military in this area, which prevent the Russian military and political leadership from implementing such plans. The second reason is the wrong, completely inadequate prioritization by the Russian leadership. This was also voiced publicly by Putin: that his current priority is the seizure of Ukrainian territories, settlements, square kilometers and access to the administrative borders of the Donetsk region, rather than the defense of his own territory in the Kursk region. No one says anything about fellow citizens there," the military expert said.

He is sure that Russia will need additional forces to counterattack in Kursk region.

"We can draw certain conclusions from what we have been observing for six weeks now. Russia is not doing well with its reserves. There are no free operational strategic reserves, or they are kept for the priority I mentioned - the offensive on the territory of Ukraine," Melnyk explained.

If we follow the classic strategy of an offensive operation, the enemy needs several tens of thousands of personnel. That is, there should be a three- to fivefold numerical advantage.

Also, according to the expert, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have not ideal, but very favorable conditions for holding the borders. "There are natural obstacles in the form of the Seim River, destroyed bridges, and crossings," Melnyk said.

In addition, Moscow is fighting using traditional methods. "What works quite well in the Ukrainian Donbas does not work well in the natural and geographical conditions that have developed in the Kursk region. Carpet bombing of populated areas, key deployment points - this simply does not exist there, there is no single line of defense. Therefore, the Russians are facing certain tactical difficulties," he said.

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

- In the Kursk region of Russia, on September 10 and 11, the aggressor state's troops conducted counterattacks along the western edge of the ledge controlled by the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The Institute for the Study of War shared information that Russia seized several settlements northeast and south of the village of Koreneve.

- The Russian Federation said that paratroopers and marines are taking part in the first large-scale counterattack in Kursk region.

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